Businessmen belonging to the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) threw their support behind the Philippine government’s call for the public to remain calm and vigilant, promote good hygiene, and uphold social peace and stability.
FFCCCII made the appeal after the World Health Organization has declared that the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a public health emergency of global concern.
“We encourage the public to stay updated on government health advisories, cooperate with government efforts, be socially responsible by not sharing fake news, or other unverified information, [and] avoid expressing racist defamations,” FFCCCII President Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong said in a statement.
Spreading bogus information and racist, xenophobic messages, according to him, “can be more dangerous than the virus itself, due to their negative effects of causing confusion, fears, rancor and instability.”
Since China is the “ally and age-old trade partner of the Philippines for more than 1,000 years,” Lim urged the public not to join some of those misguided in their biased racist stereotypes and xenophobic attacks against the most populous nation worldwide where nCoV originated.
Lim called on Filipinos to boost the morale of the Chinese people in their “valiant efforts to contain this ailment.” He stated: “Instead of racist attacks by some quarters, we should commend the China government’s transparency, for their remarkable political will, and their immense sacrifices of imposing a lockdown on Wuhan City, and its neighbors which involve millions of people.”
FFCCCII, he said, plans to donate a million or more face masks for Filipinos in need of these protective gears had their supply improves and despite the World Health Organization’s affirmation that they are not required by people who are healthy sans no respiratory symptoms or not caring for someone with such manifestations.
The Chamber, through its socio civic projects, has always given importance to public health, according to Lim. One such project is its regular “FFCCCII Libreng Gamutan” free medical and dental missions benefiting poor families nationwide.
“We at the FFCCCII want the best medical care for all people in the Philippines, because we strongly believe that public health is the foundation of a nation’s wealth and economic productivity. A healthy population creates economic prosperity,” he said.
NCoV is the latest in a slew of health risks, which include bird flu, swine flu, zika virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome, that the world has seen in recent years. Chinese authorities reported on New Year’s Eve the first case of the disease in the province of Wuhan.
Since then, the new strain of the virus has spread not only in China, but also in other countries, including the United States. The first case of the disease was confirmed in the Philippines by the Department of Health (DOH) on January 30. The country was the first outside of China to record an nCoV death on February 2.
As of February 3, 362 and more than 16,000 people have been killed and infected, respectively, by the virus worldwide. In the Philippines, there are 80 individuals under investigation for nCoV, per the DOH.
“Let us pray, unite, promote better health and uphold social harmony so that we may overcome the nCoV threat soonest,” the FFCCCII president said.
